HOW TO HIRE · BUSINESS & PROFESSIONAL · CHECKED OCTOBER 2026
How to hire a bookkeeper in Ireland
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.
A bookkeeper in Ireland costs €25–€60 per hour, typically around €35. Here is how to check that in a minute, what to ask before you book, and what you must be handed when the job is done.
- Search and compare — no account needed
- Nearest to you first
- One score from Google, Trustpilot and Locufy reviews
THE 60-SECOND VERSION
Hiring a bookkeeper in five steps
- Are you a trader, and can I see that in writing?No register covers bookkeeper work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — financial Reporting — regular financial reporting is a key service offered by bookkeepers.
- How does complexity of your financial situation change the price?The more the brief departs from the usual, the more it costs. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does volume of transactions change the price?Each addition is small, but they add up across the job. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- How does specific services required change the price?What is included in the package changes the total. — ask before the quote rather than after.
- What is not included?Budgeting and Forecasting — involves analysing past financial data to create budgets and forecasts for future business planning — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a bookkeeper job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
BEFORE YOU BOOK
Check before you book
No register applies
THE TERM 'ACCOUNTANT' IS NOT PROTECTED — anyone may use it, which surprises most people. What is checkable is membership of a professional body (Chartered Accountants Ireland, ACCA, CPA Ireland), each of which maintains a searchable member list, requires professional indemnity insurance and gives you a complaints route. An agent filing on your behalf also needs an agent registration with the tax authority.
Look for the trader badge and the ID-checked badge on the Locufy profile — both are checked by us, not claimed by the provider.
What to check instead
Which professional body, and their member number — then check it on that body's own register; Professional indemnity insurance and its limit; Their agent registration, if they will file for you; Who does the work and who reviews it; The fee basis: fixed, hourly, or per return, and what is outside it; What you are responsible for providing, and by when.
Ask for each of these before you agree a price, and get the answers in the same message as the quote.
Insurance
Expect professional indemnity insurance, which the professional bodies require. From a company, ask for the insurer, the limit and the VAT number, and ask who actually attends: the team that turns up may be employed, subcontracted or both, and only one of those is supervised by the firm you are paying.
Ask to see the current certificate of insurance — the insurer's name, the limit and the date it runs to.
Trader or private seller
Under the Consumer Rights Act 2022 a trader must tell you they are a trader, and your consumer rights — work carried out with reasonable skill and care, and a cooling-off period on a contract agreed in your home or online — apply to traders and not to private sellers. On Locufy the trader status is shown on the profile.
Look for the trader badge on the Locufy profile, and ask anyone else for it in writing before you agree a price.
VAT
VAT at 23%, the standard rate Revenue publishes for this service. Ask whether the price you were given includes it. A trader under the €42,500 registration threshold does not charge it; one over it must, and must show it separately.
Ask whether the figure you were given includes it, and for the VAT number if they are registered — Revenue publishes the rate for this service. revenue.ie →
A good answer: No register covers bookkeeper work, so trader status is what your consumer rights hang on — financial Reporting — regular financial reporting is a key service offered by bookkeepers.
A good answer: The more the brief departs from the usual, the more it costs. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Each addition is small, but they add up across the job. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: What is included in the package changes the total. — ask before the quote rather than after.
A good answer: Budgeting and Forecasting — involves analysing past financial data to create budgets and forecasts for future business planning — get the exclusions named in the quote, because a bookkeeper job is priced on what was agreed and not on what was assumed.
A good answer: Expect professional indemnity insurance, which the professional bodies require — financial Reporting — includes preparing monthly, quarterly, or annual financial statements to provide insight into business performance.
A good answer: A written scope and a price before the bookkeeper starts, and an itemised invoice after — details regarding any specific financial goals or concerns you may have.
Getting the quote right
- Complexity of your financial situation — the more the brief departs from the usual, the more it costs.
- Volume of transactions — each addition is small, but they add up across the job.
- Specific services required — what is included in the package changes the total.
- Payroll Management — the work cannot be scheduled until this is known.
- In writing before anyone starts — a message on Locufy counts
- What is NOT included, named
- Who actually attends, and whether they are employed or subcontracted
- The VAT number, and whether it checks out on the Revenue register
Walk away if
- They will not talk about it: complexity of your financial situation — the more the brief departs from the usual, the more it costs
- They will not talk about it: volume of transactions — each addition is small, but they add up across the job
- They will not talk about it: specific services required — what is included in the package changes the total
- A price for the bookkeeper before anyone has asked the size, the access or the condition of what they are working on
- Cash only, or a large deposit before anything at all has started
- No written quote, or one that moves once the bookkeeper has begun
What a bookkeeper costs: €25–€60 per hour
Most bookkeepers quote the job rather than the hour; the hourly rate is what the small jobs are priced from. Payroll management and Financial reporting each carry their own band. Bookkeeper price guide →
Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.
KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE
Bookkeepers near you, with the badges that matter shown
ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.
- Look firstComplexity of your financial situation — the more the brief departs from the usual, the more it costs — that is what the bookkeeper is judging on the first visit, and a price given without it is a guess.
- Agree what is being doneVolume of transactions — each addition is small, but they add up across the job — put in writing before anyone starts, because it is the document you both read back at the end.
- The work itselfSpecific services required — what is included in the package changes the total — and anything found on the day that was not in that is priced before it is started.
- Check it togetherPayroll Management — the work cannot be scheduled until this is known — walked against the written scope rather than against the feeling of it, while the bookkeeper is still there.
- What you are handedThe itemised invoice and any guarantee on the workmanship and the parts, look for bookkeepers with relevant qualifications such as accounting certifications or degrees.
- Financial Reporting
- Regular financial reporting is a key service offered by bookkeepers.
- Budgeting and Forecasting
- Involves analysing past financial data to create budgets and forecasts for future business planning.
- Call-out
- A fixed charge for turning up, separate from the work itself. On a short bookkeeper job it is often most of the bill, so ask whether the first hour is inside it.
- Scope
- Exactly what is and is not being done, written down before anyone starts. Two quotes for a bookkeeper are only comparable when they are quoting the same scope.
- Making good
- Putting back what the work disturbed — plaster, paint, flooring. It is quoted separately far more often than people expect, so ask whose job it is.
- Variation
- Work added once the job has started. A bookkeeper who prices a variation before doing it is being straight with you; one who prices it on the invoice is not.
AFTER
When the job is done
Hiring a bookkeeper: questions people ask
The cost of hiring a bookkeeper can vary based on factors such as the complexity of your financial situation, the volume of transactions, and the specific services required. Experienced bookkeepers might charge higher rates due to their expertise.
The duration of a job can vary widely depending on the scope of work. Simple tasks like monthly reconciliations may take a few hours, while more complex jobs, such as year-end financial statements, could take several days.
For most small businesses, a general bookkeeper with relevant experience is sufficient for routine tasks. However, if your business involves complex financial regulations or requires specific expertise, a qualified specialist may be necessary.
Yes, many bookkeepers can handle multiple related tasks, such as bookkeeping and payroll services, which can often result in bundled pricing. Discussing your needs upfront can help streamline the process.
While bookkeepers manage financial records and reporting, they typically do not provide legal or tax advice, audit services, or financial planning. These tasks are usually handled by accountants or financial advisors.
THE TERM 'ACCOUNTANT' IS NOT PROTECTED — anyone may use it, which surprises most people. What is checkable is membership of a professional body (Chartered Accountants Ireland, ACCA, CPA Ireland), each of which maintains a searchable member list, requires professional indemnity insurance and gives you a complaints route. An agent filing on your behalf also needs an agent registration with the tax authority.
MORE GUIDES